I woke up this morning feeling less than romantic to put it mildly. Roused from my slumber a whole 2 hours earlier than normal by a shrill "MOMMYYYY!!!", I wasn't all that surprised. Hayden is currently immersed in an intense 3 day potty training boot camp. This was my cue to either run a kid to the potty or clean them up. The latter was the case this morning.
Feeling too tired to completely change all her bedding, I brought Hayden into my room and said, "Shhhhh. You can come back to sleep in Mommy's bed but you have to be quiet because Baby Deacon is still sleeping." Naturally, Hayden felt this was a great topic for early morning chit chat. I should have known better because the sound of Hayden's voice has always been like an alarm clock to Deacon. He then started squirming around in his own bed.
Luckily Hayden went back to sleep for another hour but Deacon was up for good. Man was I ever grouchy having already been up twice with him in the night. I sat there and stewed bitterly as I tried in vain to make him go back to sleep: What kind of a Valentines Day is this? I want breakfast in bed!! I want chocolates (even though I quit eating chocolate) and flowers!! Where's my love note on the counter?!? Boo hoo!
ANYWAYS... I somehow managed to flip my attitude at 7:30 this morning when I decided that Valentines Day, for me, wouldn't be about showering your significant other with love tokens. What if, on Valentines Day, we simply celebrated "LOVE" itself? You don't need to be in a relationship to do it. Why don't we just take a day to appreciate our capacity to love be it towards our family, friends, community, or even random strangers.
Love is such a powerful force in this world. There is no limit to how much love you can hold in your heart. There is no limit to how much love you can give. "All things grow with love." has become my mantra as a mom because I may not be a Pinterest queen of crafts, or Betty Crocker in the kitchen, or Molly Maid in the cleanliness department or anything that a stay-at-home-mom typically is. Hell, I don't even know what I'm doing from one minute to the next!!! But I can love my kids with everything I have and that will always be enough.
No apologies for my sappiness! It is Valentines Day after all! So even though there is no real "romance" in my forseable future, there is an infinite amount of love, and that is reason enough to celebrate on this day.
Happy V-Day Muchachos!! xoxoxox
Liza
Friday 14 February 2014
Wednesday 12 February 2014
A Day in the Life....
This winter has really been something else!!! I will always remember Hayden's first winter (2012) as the most mild and enjoyable winter I have ever experienced and Deacon's as the exact opposite. I have never ever been one to complain about snow and cold temperatures but I find myself counting down the days until spring!
Needless to say, our days have been pretty routine lately. We don't get out much, Deacon, Hayden and I. I know this is probably the least exciting thing anyone will ever read but let it just stand for historical purposes what my life was like during the worst winter ever with a toddler and 3 month old:
8:20 am - Deacon starts waking up in his bed. He just squirms around and grunts with his eyes closed for a while before he actually wakes up.
8:30 - Hayden wakes up! As little sleep as I ever get in the night, I always look forward to hearing her little voice say, "Mommmyyy!!! I'm awaaake nowwww!" I leave Deacon to wake himself up and shuffle to her room to greet her smiling face. I wouldn't want to start the day any other way!!
I take Hayden to the bathroom which she never fails to protest. I get her changed and then get her breakfast which is always cereal with fruit. I put on CBC (our one channel) for her to watch while she eats breakfast and to keep her occupied while I take care of Deacon.
9:00 - By the time I get Hayden all set up with her breakfast, Deacon is usually good and awake in his bed. Sometimes he'll have lost his patience by now, but he's usually pretty content to lay there and look around and squawk happily. Mornings are usually his best time of day. (Usually)
9:30 - After Deacon's changed and fed and happy then I get myself breakfast. I also enjoy a bowl of cereal on most days. It's fast. I eat my cereal while watching "The Adventures of Napkin Man" with Hayden. Then I sing the Napkin Man song for the rest of the morning. Either that or the Bookaboo song. Or the Jiggi-Jump song. Or the Lunar Jim song.
10:00 - Between 10 and 11 is when I can get a few things done because Hayden's still watching CBC and Deacon's still happy in his little baby rocking chair. Laundry, make the bed, get Hayden out of her pj's, tidy up the kitchen, etc.
11:00 - CBC gets turned off. It's exercise time!! I have a yoga DVD that I LOVE. (It's called MTV Yoga and I bought the VHS in 2002. I have tried TONS of other yoga DVDs since then but this is my all time fave. I just bought the DVD off Amazon a few weeks ago. I was surprised to see that it's still in production.) Or else I still really love Disc 2 of the Carmen Electra strip to fit series. Disc 2 is strictly an exercise routine and I feel like I get the most bang for my buck with the 30 minute work-out. Again, I have a few other work-out DVDs but I always go back to this one. Deacon likes to have a morning nap around 10:30 so it works out well. Hayden likes to play near my head and talk to me while I do yoga so it's not very zen but I still consider yoga to be essential to my sanity.
11:30 - Now is when I finally get dressed. Deacon is awake by now so he requires a little maintenance at this point.
12:00 - Lunch!! We eat small lunches. Usually we'll share a bagel with peanut butter and yogurt. Sometimes I'll make scrambled eggs and toast (I know! This is breakfast! I'm crazy!). My new favourite thing is hummus wraps: Spread hummus on a whole wheat wrap, sprinkle with shredded mozza cheese (vegan cheese works well too), roll it up like a burrito, brush outside with melted butter or margarine, and grill like a grilled cheese sandwich. The satisfaction of taking a bite of this delicious creation is nothing short of bliss.
1:00 - Nap-time. Hayden loves going for her nap. She sometimes asks to have a nap when its not even nap time. I know that the reason for this is because it's the only time she's allowed to have her soother. :S She's guaranteed to sleep for at least an hour and a half. Deacon is unpredictable. Sometimes he easily falls asleep. Sometimes I spend the entirety of Hayden's nap trying to get him to go for his nap. Nap time is another essential to my well-being.
2:30 - If Hayden is awake by now but Deacon is still sleeping we usually enjoy a little one-on-one time, reading, building with blocks, colouring, whatever... Hayden's new favourite thing to play is watch Mommy play with my toys like puppets and cry when mommy doesn't want to play with the toys anymore. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing with her and I love make-believe, but one can only put Minnie Mouse and "Dolly Doo" through so many fantastical scenarios before one's brain begins to disintegrate.
3:00 - Hayden eats a snack and watches a show on Netflix. Right now she is in love with Thomas the train. If's Deacon's still sleeping you can find me frantically trying to do as much as I can before he wakes up.
4:00 - Deacon maintenance complete - I play with both kids before I have to make supper.
5:00 - If Tyler happens to be home for supper, he will make it. If not, I make supper and I have to say I am very proud of how far I have come in the kitchen since having kids. We always eat healthy, well-rounded meals. That said, I still don't like cooking for other people. Even Tyler.
6:00 - 8:00 - The evenings always go by in a blur, especially if Tyler is home. To Hayden he is Mr. Awesome, always making up the best games on the fly. Sometimes I look at the clock and I'm like, Whoa!! It's bedtime already! As for the bedtime routine, I think I've already said enough about that in previous posts.
9:30 - Hayden's out and then it's time to get Deacon to bed. When Hayden was that age, she nursed to sleep every night and then slept 9 hrs right through the night. It was Heaven. Well, Deacon doesn't always like nursing to sleep and he won't take a soother, so I sometimes find myself walking him around in the Ergo until he's asleep and then plunking him into his bed by 10:30. I'm excited to see how his sleeping patterns evolve in the coming months, to put it positively. :S
10:30 - Deacon is sleeping. Prior to Deacon's birth, we would never ever have considered spending any time in our horrid basement. Now, we have a TV down there, some chairs, its all nice and tidy. It's our no-baby zone and it's awesome.
12:00 - I am a night owl! You'd think I would go to bed earlier than this considering I barely sleep at night, but I love my me time and time with Tyler. Also, I fully intend to have a life again one day and I won't be that gal who putters out at 9 pm. Party-mom on stand-by!!! KIDDING!
I can't wait to go back and read this when my kids are bigger and say, ahh those were the good-old days! Or will I?? Time will only tell...
Thanks for following the gripping saga of my life!! ;)
XO LIZA
Needless to say, our days have been pretty routine lately. We don't get out much, Deacon, Hayden and I. I know this is probably the least exciting thing anyone will ever read but let it just stand for historical purposes what my life was like during the worst winter ever with a toddler and 3 month old:
8:20 am - Deacon starts waking up in his bed. He just squirms around and grunts with his eyes closed for a while before he actually wakes up.
8:30 - Hayden wakes up! As little sleep as I ever get in the night, I always look forward to hearing her little voice say, "Mommmyyy!!! I'm awaaake nowwww!" I leave Deacon to wake himself up and shuffle to her room to greet her smiling face. I wouldn't want to start the day any other way!!
I take Hayden to the bathroom which she never fails to protest. I get her changed and then get her breakfast which is always cereal with fruit. I put on CBC (our one channel) for her to watch while she eats breakfast and to keep her occupied while I take care of Deacon.
9:00 - By the time I get Hayden all set up with her breakfast, Deacon is usually good and awake in his bed. Sometimes he'll have lost his patience by now, but he's usually pretty content to lay there and look around and squawk happily. Mornings are usually his best time of day. (Usually)
9:30 - After Deacon's changed and fed and happy then I get myself breakfast. I also enjoy a bowl of cereal on most days. It's fast. I eat my cereal while watching "The Adventures of Napkin Man" with Hayden. Then I sing the Napkin Man song for the rest of the morning. Either that or the Bookaboo song. Or the Jiggi-Jump song. Or the Lunar Jim song.
10:00 - Between 10 and 11 is when I can get a few things done because Hayden's still watching CBC and Deacon's still happy in his little baby rocking chair. Laundry, make the bed, get Hayden out of her pj's, tidy up the kitchen, etc.
11:00 - CBC gets turned off. It's exercise time!! I have a yoga DVD that I LOVE. (It's called MTV Yoga and I bought the VHS in 2002. I have tried TONS of other yoga DVDs since then but this is my all time fave. I just bought the DVD off Amazon a few weeks ago. I was surprised to see that it's still in production.) Or else I still really love Disc 2 of the Carmen Electra strip to fit series. Disc 2 is strictly an exercise routine and I feel like I get the most bang for my buck with the 30 minute work-out. Again, I have a few other work-out DVDs but I always go back to this one. Deacon likes to have a morning nap around 10:30 so it works out well. Hayden likes to play near my head and talk to me while I do yoga so it's not very zen but I still consider yoga to be essential to my sanity.
11:30 - Now is when I finally get dressed. Deacon is awake by now so he requires a little maintenance at this point.
12:00 - Lunch!! We eat small lunches. Usually we'll share a bagel with peanut butter and yogurt. Sometimes I'll make scrambled eggs and toast (I know! This is breakfast! I'm crazy!). My new favourite thing is hummus wraps: Spread hummus on a whole wheat wrap, sprinkle with shredded mozza cheese (vegan cheese works well too), roll it up like a burrito, brush outside with melted butter or margarine, and grill like a grilled cheese sandwich. The satisfaction of taking a bite of this delicious creation is nothing short of bliss.
1:00 - Nap-time. Hayden loves going for her nap. She sometimes asks to have a nap when its not even nap time. I know that the reason for this is because it's the only time she's allowed to have her soother. :S She's guaranteed to sleep for at least an hour and a half. Deacon is unpredictable. Sometimes he easily falls asleep. Sometimes I spend the entirety of Hayden's nap trying to get him to go for his nap. Nap time is another essential to my well-being.
2:30 - If Hayden is awake by now but Deacon is still sleeping we usually enjoy a little one-on-one time, reading, building with blocks, colouring, whatever... Hayden's new favourite thing to play is watch Mommy play with my toys like puppets and cry when mommy doesn't want to play with the toys anymore. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE playing with her and I love make-believe, but one can only put Minnie Mouse and "Dolly Doo" through so many fantastical scenarios before one's brain begins to disintegrate.
3:00 - Hayden eats a snack and watches a show on Netflix. Right now she is in love with Thomas the train. If's Deacon's still sleeping you can find me frantically trying to do as much as I can before he wakes up.
4:00 - Deacon maintenance complete - I play with both kids before I have to make supper.
5:00 - If Tyler happens to be home for supper, he will make it. If not, I make supper and I have to say I am very proud of how far I have come in the kitchen since having kids. We always eat healthy, well-rounded meals. That said, I still don't like cooking for other people. Even Tyler.
6:00 - 8:00 - The evenings always go by in a blur, especially if Tyler is home. To Hayden he is Mr. Awesome, always making up the best games on the fly. Sometimes I look at the clock and I'm like, Whoa!! It's bedtime already! As for the bedtime routine, I think I've already said enough about that in previous posts.
9:30 - Hayden's out and then it's time to get Deacon to bed. When Hayden was that age, she nursed to sleep every night and then slept 9 hrs right through the night. It was Heaven. Well, Deacon doesn't always like nursing to sleep and he won't take a soother, so I sometimes find myself walking him around in the Ergo until he's asleep and then plunking him into his bed by 10:30. I'm excited to see how his sleeping patterns evolve in the coming months, to put it positively. :S
10:30 - Deacon is sleeping. Prior to Deacon's birth, we would never ever have considered spending any time in our horrid basement. Now, we have a TV down there, some chairs, its all nice and tidy. It's our no-baby zone and it's awesome.
12:00 - I am a night owl! You'd think I would go to bed earlier than this considering I barely sleep at night, but I love my me time and time with Tyler. Also, I fully intend to have a life again one day and I won't be that gal who putters out at 9 pm. Party-mom on stand-by!!! KIDDING!
I can't wait to go back and read this when my kids are bigger and say, ahh those were the good-old days! Or will I?? Time will only tell...
Thanks for following the gripping saga of my life!! ;)
XO LIZA
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